Rock And A Hard Place and a 1990 Memory
I wouldn’t want to be Sabean or Evans right now. There isn’t a trade out there that could possibly get this team to start playing above .500 regularly. And they don’t have the bullets to fire anyway. They should be sellers but they can’t trade Bum because they think the fanbase would revolt. They’re probably looking at trying to get a guy like Dozier who would be a classic pick up for SF but he’s not going to move the needle enough to make a difference.
Here’s what’s going to happen: nothing is going to happen.
Watching Newcomb lose his no hitter with 2 outs in the 9th reminded me of 1990. I was in my mom’s kitchen on Tennyson Ave in Palo Alto making a triple decker salami sando listening to Scotty Garrelts try to close out his no no vs the Reds. With 2 outs someone (Eric Davis maybe?) lined a clean hit into the outfield and that was it. I screamed out *motherfuck!!!!!!!* and slumped to the ground. Got up. Ate my sando.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
In chess, there is a situation that arises sometimes called “zugzwang,” which means a player has no good moves available. I’m sure Sabean and Evans are feeling like they’re in zugzwang right now.
Every available move feels wrong to them.
Here’s a dictionary definition:
Zugzwang (German for “compulsion to move”, pronounced [ˈtsuːktsvaŋ]) is a situation found in chess and other games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because they must make a move when they would prefer to pass and not move. The fact that the player is compelled to move means that their position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be “in zugzwang” when any possible move will worsen their position.
fantastic word
Unlike chess, which involves a direct opposition player, who put Sabevans into the zugswang?
Selbst…
Sounds like some magic word one would use to cast a spell…
Zugzwang!
That (magic) might be the only thing that could get the Giants to play above .500 ball at this point.
Paul O’Neill I think.
One of the last games I saw at Stick Garrelts wild pitched in the run that beat him.
I was reading up on Garrelts yesterday after someone mentioned him. It’s easy to forget that he was a really good pitcher for his 10 years with the team and a huge part of the ’89 pennant winners. I can’t remember why he dropped off so precipitously in ’91. Maybe an injury, but he was done after that.
It was Paul O’Neill that broke up Garrelt’s no-no.
yeah noted Giants killer when he was with Reds
They won’t make any moves and they shouldn’t make any moves. I actually feel our front office handled the off season well and I agree with standing pat now.
Play this season out with this roster, then go after Harper HARD in the off season.
Harper’s .210 batting average actually helps thin the competition for him and might even save us 30 or 40 mill on his contract. I have no doubt he’ll bounce back.
Agree SanDog. Everything I hear says the Giants will indeed make a hard run at Harper. He has said he like playing in our yard, too. WTF…go for it.
Harper’s BA will continue to be in the shitter as long as shifts are allowed.
Culprit yesterday when Giants didn’t score with bases loaded was Hanson. He took called third on a ball inside corner that’s a lot better one than he often swings at. Get the ball in the air!
Interested to see what Hanson (among others) does rest of season. D looks better and he’s helped Giants continue to turn DPs. Average and power numbers have dropped some after hot start; is he valuable reserve off bench/part time starter next year or do they need to find him full time spot?
I like him as a super sub. Hell, between 2nd, SS, and OF, he’ll get plenty of work.
Machado playing to the underwhelming start I’d hoped for. One bomb in 43 at bats. HIs .842 OPS is overvalued with 7 walks. He’s scored 3 measly runs. So far, so good.
Harper cares about numbers first, everything else second. He’d never sign in SF despite liking the city.
I think the great majority of players care about their numbers first.
He’d never sign in SF because of our ballpark—-is that what you mean?
yes. His salad days don’t include playing half the rest of his games at AT&T
I’m ready for the trade deadline but don’t agree that it won’t be doing much for the club. Listened to the game as I drove home from tahoe yesterday. Slater always seems to be making a contribution. Dude needs more playing time.
i guess they could upgrade second base. Other than that, all the positions seem to be filled. Unless Belt’s out for the rest of the year which, because it’s him, seems completely likely to happen…..
I probably already told this story but the first time I saw Garrelts was his first start (I think). It was a night game against the Braves back in the early 80s. In the first two innings he either Walked or HBP the Braves to load the bases, and got out of both innings w/o letting in a run. This was one of those midweek games at the Stick where there were only a few thousand people but it seemed like only 100 max. You know, the games where the smell of pot over powered the smell of stale, spilt beer. Anyway, Garrelts kept walking guys to the point where we started the chant “Don’t walk him, hit him”, but he still kept getting guys out. He did give up a run on a solo HR but Jack Clark hit a two run blast to win it. After that night, we always called Garrelts “Beam Em Up Scotty”.
didn’t he start as a reliever and then turn starter? I can’t recall which way he went. You don’t see that often any more–reliever to starter
Probably, I’m not sure. This was the first time that I remember seeing him pitch.
Looking at his stats it says he came up in 82 and pitched 2 innings of relief. 83 he started 5 games and 84 they switched him to the pen. The game log shows his first start on 9/7/83 against the Braves. His line was 8 IP, 6 H, 7 BBs, 2 HBP, 1 ER.
Crazy night.
Scott Garrelts had a lot of good games &bad .
Giants didn’t know how to use him early on in his career BP/Starter back and forth..
Never forget the game at the stick and he was facing Dave Parker, he fell behind in the count sand I knew he was gonna give him a straight fastball, he did and it still has landed.
The shot went upper deck in Right Field and thru the tunnel for fans to get their food 🥘 I’m sure some bewildered fan getting a dog and a belt was stunned to get a ball with his order..
LOL
Wasn’t Garrelts the pitcher on the infamous Mike Marshall homer? My buddy and I got put on TV–in San Diego—for our rant we did going after Marshall for that bush league display.
What was that story again?
“Marshall, who ended a frustrating offensive night by hitting a Scott Garrelts pitch over the left-field fence to break an 8-8 deadlock, fueled an already heated rivalry by pointing at Garrelts and the Giant bench as he was rounding the bases. Then, just after crossing home plate, Marshall pointed to the San Francisco dugout and waved his arms.
Giant Manager Roger Craig naturally took exception to the gestures and protested.
Alex Trevino, the next Dodger batter, was then the recipient of a brush-back pitch. That erupted into a bench-clearing shoving match that eventually involved some of the crowd near the Dodger dugout.
As the Dodgers went back to the dugout, some Candlestick Park fans doused Dodger players with beer. Several Dodgers, including rookie Tracy Woodson and assistant trainer Charlie Strasser, tried to go into the stands to fight the fans. At least one fan was arrested.
Marshall had been 0 for 5 before hitting the home run. The Giants decided to walk Pedro Guerrero with a runner on second to pitch to Marshall. The move backfired and Marshall made every effort to remind the Giants of that on his trip around the bases.
Marshall said after the game: “I regret my actions. A lot of it was just the circumstances. I had balls thrown at me (Monday night) and they were walking guys to pitch to me. That was the way I let it out and I apologized to (Giant Manager) Roger Craig for it. It was directed at only guy and that was Craig.
“I didn’t mean to cause a riot and get Alex thrown at. Looking back at it, I wish I hadn’t done it.”
Said Craig: “That was very uncalled for, what he did. That was a bush league thing to do. This is the big leagues. I don’t know where he’s been.”
Talking about the fans, Craig said, “The fans never would have done it (become unruly) if Marshall hadn’t have done what he did.”
Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda called Craig from his stadium office a half hour after the game ended to apologize for the incident.”
He hit a go ahead homer at Candlestick and screamed and pointed at Roger Craig as he ran around the the bases. Craig had been walking guys to pitch to Marshall.
Garrelts? then threw the next pitch at the next batter’s head.
It was good stuff.
Looks like the date was 4/21/87.
Wish I could’ve been there for that one!
If that was the riot at the end of the twi-night double header vs the Dodgers where Marshall tried to climb into the stands and got popped in the face for his trouble, I was front-row for that fight. I thought it was Guerrero who hit the homer and then flipped off the Giants dugout. on his way to 1st.
May have been a different giants Dodger fight though.
I was at a Giants/Dodgers game where Reggie Smith tried to go into the stands. Someone had drenched him in beer.
If I remember correctly, he had been thrown out of the game by an ump, and was heading for that doorway along the rightfield line to the clubhouse.
What a nightmare for opposing players trying to get from the field to the visitors clubhouse at the Stick.
I wasn’t at that game but I remember it, and Smith signed with us the next year, right?
Yeah! lulz
Yeah, mine was a different game. The riot I saw was the back-end of a twi-night doubleheader. My then-GF at the time was a big Cardinals fan and she was saying how big the Cards/Cubs rivalry was the best in baseball. I called BS on that and said let’s go to a Giants Dodgers game for some real rivalry action. The dodgers crushed the Giants in the 1st game, and the Dodgers were killing the Giants again in game 2. By this time, people had been at the game and drinking for close over 5 hours. Many had left so we moved down to about 10 rows behind the Sosger dugout. The Giants fought back to tie it in the 8th. In the top of the 9th Franklin Stubbs thought he hit a home run and flipped off the Giants dugout on his way by. It turned out to be a double. When someone grounded out, he went to 3rd. When Stubbs got to 3rd, the garbage and shit was raining down from the 3rd base side.
They cleaned up the field, but Stubbs scored on another ground out (I think) and when he trotted back to the dugout the garbage raining down on the field was epic. People were pounding on the dugout roof, and Lasorda came out of the dugout to calm shit down, and when he turned to yell at the fans, someone threw a 90 MPH orange that whizzed right by his ear. He ran right back into the dugout. Marshall then tried to go after someone in the stands and was promptly popped in the face by another fan. By this time the cops were swarming down from the far reaches of the stadium grabbing random people and dragging them out of the melee. It took a while to restore order. the Giants even tied it up in the 9th but lost in the 11th.
This was the last twi-night double header they played vs LA. I told my gf, there you go. THIS is a rivalry.
Found this article . . .
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/07/28/Police-said-San-Franciscos-double-header-loss-to-the-arch-rival/7253586065600/
Al Rosen: “The beach at Okinawa was safer”
Too funny
“Dodgers left fielder Kirk Gibson was the major target of obscenities and hurled objects.
‘I’ve got to go out there again tonight,’ said Gibson. ‘I’m not saying anything.'”
lulz!
Rosen would know. He was there…
And now bigoted garbage tweets have been found from Trea Turner while in high school.
So these white baseball stars in high school, who are already being treated like gods on campus, can’t resist pouring out hate on other groups of people. It’s ridiculous and sad.
baseball players are, without question, the most racist and dumb of all the major sports. I think some of it has to do with so many of them playing in those cornfed states on teams with no black or hispanic players. In football and basketball you play with different races from a very early age. Golfers are also pretty bad, nearly as bad as baseball players (for similar reasons)
Harbs is a fucking loon
There is a case to be made for football players not eating chicken. The estrogen related compounds used in their feed to grow breast meat performs the same ‘function’ in humans. It counters the PEDs.
I would suggest it’s the fans, not the Giants’ front office who are in a state of zugzwang.
About ten weeks into 2016, the Giants had the best record in MLB and had won three of six WS titles. Since then, a list of significant signings, trades, releases. There are only two stinkers:
S- Melancon
S- Morse
S- Hundley
S- d’Arnaud
S- Rodriguez
S- Hanson
S- Jackson
S- Holland
S- Watson
T- Nunez
T- Smith
T- Moore
T- Tyler “Forever Four-Twnty” Herb
T- Longoria
T- McCutchen
R: Mike “Say Goodbye To” Broadway
R- Kontos
R- Parker
10 of those guys stink.
Melancon and Jackson were inarguably bad signings. All of the trades they made in 2916 helped them secure the second WC slot. Despite the degree of his suck ituse in 2017, the trade for Moore was a success.
I forgot about Dyson and Sandoval. They got them for nothing.
You suck at counting. SOAD.
What does SOAD stand for?
“Son Of A Douche”
Son of a douchebag if I remember correctly. This was WAY back around 2006 on the splash, iirc.
On Loo’s Masterpiece
The front left window looks like it has a wooden bed in there,was that used by Kathy Bates in Misery on James Caan’s ankles with the sledgehammer and 2by4???
I’m thinking Dave Martinez gets canned before the Nats lose Harper.
Zumie,
I could only come up with “System of a down”? Cut down to Soad..
Some Areminian/American metal band from the 90’s
Great band, but SOAD stands for son of a douchebag. as noted above this was from the Splash days back in 2006.
I thought “Africa” was a lousy song the first time it came out. Now, I have to listen to a cover version that sounds dentical to the original?
I give Weezer credit for duplicating the tune so well, but its getting WAY to much airplay for me.
If you’re gonna do a cover, so something different with it. 2 of my favs are Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson and Maggie’s Farm by Rage Against The Machine.
One of my favorite covers (besides Korn doing Cameo’s Word Up) is Cake doing War Pigs. Awesome cover. Nothing like Sabbath but equally cool.
Sublime’s version of the Dead’s Scarlet Begonias gets a nod as well. As does Anthrax doing Joe Jackson’s Got the Time.
That was AWESOME and I’m a little ashamed to say I’ve never heard it before.
Haven’t heard Maggie’s Farm by Rage in long time. Very cool. Then there’s this . . .
Saw them at the Mabuhay somewhere around 1982. The Catholiocs are Attacking and Fascists Eat Donutsbrought the house down.
Some more great covers:
Beatles (who hit an HR on every cover they did):
Twist and Shout
Johnny Cash: Hurt
Nicolette Larson: Lotta Love
The Clash: I Fought The Law
The drum roll intro the clash added is astonishing. But imo brand new Cadillac is an even better cover
That’s a great one, too!
Judas Priest – The Green Manalishi with the two-pronged crown
Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower
Tool – No Quarter
UFO – Alone Again Or
The Damned – Alone Again Or
(hah!)
Every metal band worships Black Sabbath including my beloved Pantera.
I’ll never understand why they chose to cover the very tame “Planet Caravan” of all things…
Love that song. Along with Children of the Grave.
Oh yes. BS started it all and sound as good today as the day the albums came out. Loo, I wouldn’t have pegged you for Pantera in a million years. Awesome.
Tony Iommi spawned a generation of metal gods. He’s still bad ass.
Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, Chuck.
We should never forget how great UFO was (is). I went through a period last year when I realized I only had one of their records, “Strangers in the Night,” which everyone had in the 70’s, on 8 track if you’re old enough, so I proceeded to purchase all of their early stuff and haven’t been disappointed. Each record is fantastic from start to finish. One of the great, and under-appreciated, rock bands of all time. Michael Schenker almost made me sell all my guitars, but I managed to resist the urge. God that guy can play. Also one of the great live acts ever.
I’m sure I could get some points with Brave Combo’s polka version of People are Strange, but I’m going for the gold with Tiny Tim, backed by Brave Combo doing Stairway to Heaven.
What can one say, except…..Tiny Tim!
That sly virtuoso jazz parody backing him is really good.
Yeah Xoot, Brave Combo kicks ass. Besides playing with Mr. Tim, they’ve won a couple of Grammys, been portrayed on the Simpsons a couple of times, played David Byrne’s wedding and Bob Dylan stole their arrangement of Must Be Santa. Gotta love it.
Honorable mention goes to piano player George Winston who did an entire album of Doors covers, all solo piano instrumentals. Very well done, with cool arrangements of the songs.
Speaking of which, Camper Van Beethoven did a complete cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk album, a double album. Very nicely done.
I won’t even bring up These Boots Are Made For Walking by Megadeth . . .
“Because it’s a nervous bird.” ROFL! You can’t make this shit up.
Camel a English progressive rock band and a underrated band from the 70’s had pretty cool album covers..
1. Andrew McCutchen (R) RF
2. Buster Posey (R) C
3. Evan Longoria (R) 3B
4. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
5. Austin Slater (R) 1B
6. Chase d’Arnaud (R) 2B
7. Steven Duggar (L) CF
8. Gorkys Hernandez (R) LF
9. Derek Holland (S) P
I bet there aren’t 10 people in Brooklyn who have ever heard of our 5 thru 9 hitters.
Cutch to Cleveland rumors heating up.
More bullshit…
When the hell did Austin Jackson join the Mets? He went 2-3 yesterday.
I still think they brought Cueto back too soon. Dr. Andrews said he didn’t need a TJ…just rest. Fucking Giant medicos…
well, Andrews isn’t a Giant medico
I liked the Cake cover. Hadn’t heard it before.
I don’t know Booby’s gonna do but I’m ready for this trade deadline.
money gif
Bochy said Cueto will probably need TJ surgery.
We’ll see him in 2020.
new arm in time for the last 2 years of his deal, nice.
My favorite cover of all time…
I’m a huge Priest fan and live their Green Manalishi live of course….
Honorable Mention….sorry no video of Fun Boy Three (former members from the Specials) doing the Go-Go’s Our Lips Are Sealed…
Michael Schenker was so good…seeing MSG open for Nugent in high school was just kick ass st the SJ Civic…blew Nugent away. My friends and I busted out laughing went Nugent came out starting his show with a guitar solo…regret not seeing MSG few months ago touring with couple of the MSG lead singers…
When you get voted into the Hall of Fame you get a pretty sweet ring.
Besides being a sweet ring, it’ll also remind Nolan that he’s right handed.
Believe me, as you get older these hints are important.
🙂
Kruk said today on KNBR that it was mainly Cueto’s call to roll the dice on rest and rehab first, no TJ surgery. Well, OK. I’m wondering how much management’s desire to get some 2018 production from the Cueto investment actually played into “his” decision. Whatever, the 3 months now found to be wasted time instead of post-surg rehab time puts Cueto into 2020, likely not even into late 2019. Now what will they give up to get some journeyman replacement — or will they use somebodies from the farm?…
Stratton?
Beede is apparently now tossed into Pen duty.
Anybody else on the horizon? How about that Anderson kid they got from Bosox? He did pretty decent at AA, now recently up in Sac, but his record so far there with 11 innings is no bueno…
Chase that one bitches!
Boom.
Someone needs to break the news to Krukow that Bonds was on steroids.
Still the best damn hitter I ever saw, and it’s not close.
Dang, Holland is pitching really free and easy tonight. Is sandog at the game?
Hah! That game forever changed my attitude toward Holland. I love the guy now.
Braves traded for Duvall.
Damn, why can’t we get players like that…. 🙂
Padre feed showing Mitch in the stands wearing Giant gear.
Mitch! One of my all time favorites.
Damn, GH, that Fun Boy Three cover is awesome!
Man Belinda Carlisle was a hottie back in the day.
MLB says this about the Nationals: “According to a source, the Nationals have let it be known that All-Star Bryce Harper is indeed available via trade, setting up what could be a wild race for the superstar with the non-waiver Trade Deadline less than 24 hours away. Other potential Nationals trade chips would potentially include Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Matt Adams, Mark Reynolds, Jeremy Hellickson, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Shawn Kelley, all of whom are set to become free agents this winter.” Man, that’s beginning to sound like… dare I say it…. blowing things up…..
Dusty must be laughing …
A nice bit of scheudenfreid for Dusty. Don’t think I spelled that right.
That was stupid, but I dig Slater. Even if he did go to Stanford.
Poor man’s Lou Piniella, I’m telling you.
And Lou Piniella was already a poor man’s somebody else.
Maybe a poor man’s Al Kaline? Sweet Lou played a role in winning a couple of rings though. I’m starting to think Slater could be a starter on a winning team.
Kaline, good call.
OPTIMISM! Pass it on!
K-Mitch was a scary ass hitter in his prime. Huge power with RBI’s and average too. He hit some massive bombs for the Giants. I remember one he hit at the Astrodome that was as loud and long as you’d ever see there, a tee shot off those plexiglass windows they had in LF.
He owned Glavine…
Cueto will be 34 (in Dominican years) in 2020.
Is there any precedent for guys coming back strong at that age after TJ?
Since it’ll be TJ #1, he has that going for him…
Tommy John?
Yeah, did he have one before? I looked online, didn’t see one…
I don’t remember their ages, but they *seemed* old at the time: Tommy John himself? Frank Tanana?
Looks like TJ was 31.
Maybe Tanana didn’t have TJ surgery, but I sort of recalling him being a real fireballer, then having some kind of surgery, and reinvented himself as a somewhat effective junkballer….
I looked up TJ also, Zum and found a fun fact:
He is the all-time leader in no decisions for SP (188)…
Fun fact, indeed!
Weird play. Good thing Moronta was paying attention.
I remember watching Tanana after he became a junkballer and thinking he had no chance to make it work, but he stuck with it and won a lot of games that way.
And we’ll all remember him getting attacked by the woman in the Whitesnake video, wielding a stilleto heel in her hand as a weapon, as he was driving a car.
I think that was Finley…
…and that wasn’t in a video, that was in real life! She got arrested.
Ah, that was Finley. Correct.
If nothing else comes of this season, Moronta is a stud reliever. He’s only going to get better.
Need another run here.
Or three…
Sheezus, even bad bunting has gotten to Specs.
Is this the worst bunting team in the NL? I can’t imagine one worse than SF…
Since Bochy hates the bunt, maybe that’s understandable…
Ahhh the Bangles . . .
Now Whitesnake. That was a band from that era that I did not like.
Robert Plant referred to David Coverdale as David Cover-version, which nailed it well.
That’s great. I think Coverdale actually lives in Lake Tahoe now.
I’ll use a dictionary to get the spelling right.
Regarding the Nats, Dusty Baker might be feeling some:
scha·den·freu·de
ˈSHädənˌfroidə
noun
pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.
Stumbled upon a great bit of trivia while googling some of the topics we’ve been talking about here.
2 pitchers gave up home runs to both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds.
One name has come up here tonight and the other pitched for the Giants.
Any guesses?
Nolan Ryan and Rick Reuschel.
Reuschel is correct. And I thought that would be the hard one for someone to come up with.
Nolan Ryan?
Reuschel and Finley? I can’t remember when Finley pitched.
Damn. Moronta is dealing.
Whitesnake was a bit of a joke but Coverdale is revered in England for being part of Deep Purple.
Didn’t Deep Purple have like 7 lead singers?
Joe South sang Hush, I believe,,,
No, he didn’t.
I just remember his name under the title on the 45…
Ian Gillan sang Purple’s version of Hush.
Rumors swirling that Giants are shopping veteran club house manager Mike Murphy.
Sources say the team is willing to help Murph’s wish to work for a playoff team one more time…
Murph is a 10 and 5 guy, so he is gonna have to sign off on any deals!
(He’s actually more like a 50 and 50 guy)
Murphlulz !….
Bochy rolling snake eyes for the third straight time?
Melancon coming into the 8th again with a one run lead.
Into the teeth of the Pads order, too (such as it is).
Oy…
Bochy’s erection for Melancon continues…
Wow. Nice 12 to 6 curve by Melonball…
Tanana is the other guy. Reuschel and Tanana.
Fast Frankie won 240 games in the big leagues. That’s big time. He also went to Cal State Fullerton, which I thought I would have known being a proud CSU graduate myself.
I give Melancon credit for this: he knows his fastball has no business being anywhere near the heart of the strike zone at any time.
Our 8th inning ace
One of Trump’s former campaign managers goes on trial tomorrow for helping to launder money for Russian mobsters.
Good times.
I’ll take Manafort over Melancon for the 8th !….
Russia owns enough Republicans in Congress so nothing matters. Apparently there are enough people in Congress and the country to sham the next election an to disavow any wrongdoing with the collusion.
Groundhog Day with this fucking guy. Fuck you Bochy.
Boch just loves him some Melonhead. Me? I’ve had more than enough. Bring back Bam Bam!!
And he leaves him in for the loss!
Fuck Melanoma !!!
Worse pickup ever!!
And they still slot his sorry ass ahead of Moronta in Bochy’s stupid warped mind!!